Assets as used herein refers to physical things such as industrial assets which include electric motors, pumps, tanks, pipes, and similar assets. In many environments it is useful to monitor and control the assets with sensors and control electronics performing various functions including the functions of pure monitoring, predicting asset health, protection and control. The term “sensor” is used broadly and refers to any device that produces a signal that contains information regarding an asset. For example a switch could be a sensor. Also, the term “control electronics” is used broadly and refers to a specialized processor or computer that receives signals from sensors and performs one of the functions described above. Thus, control electronics do not necessarily perform a control function. For example, control electronics can perform purely a monitoring function. Typically the control electronics performing those functions are located remotely from the assets and sensors and other devices that are mounted on or near the assets and are hardwired back to the control electronics. The sensors and other devices may also communicate with the control electronics wirelessly, such as Wi-Fi communications, or other types of communications may be used such as fiber optic cables. During the use of such control electronics, it is often necessary or desirable for the user to be in a control room and to also be in the field at the site of the asset. So for example, a user may need to go to the site of the asset and obtain some type of data and then returned to the control room to enter the data into the control electronics. The data acquired in the field is often input by a keyboard in the control room, and human error is quite possible. The need to be present at the asset in the field is particularly prevalent during the original set up or commissioning of equipment (assets) and during maintenance operations that are necessary for the assets. The traditional process of acquiring field data and entering it into the control electronics associated with the assets has been laborious and prone to human error.